ELMONT, N.Y. – If Dale Romans was looking for a reason not to run Preakness winner Shackleford in next Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, he certainly couldn’t find it watching the colt work Saturday morning over Belmont Park’s main track.
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Daily Racing Form national handicapper Mike Watchmaker analyzes the potential pace scenario for next Saturday's Belmont Stakes and discusses how it could affect Preakness winner Shackleford, who likes to be on or near the lead.
So what’s the best way to win the Belmont?
Whether a Triple Crown is on the line or not, pace strategy and tactics are usually a key element of the Test of the Champion. This is especially true when prospective contenders have contrasting running styles, as will be the case if Animal Kingdom, Shackleford, and Nehro all make the race.
The field flashed past the stands for the first time during the Preakness Stakes on May 21.
“So the two speeds hook up,” called the track announcer, as Flashpoint on the inside and Shackleford to his outside separated themselves from the other 12 contestants.
The connections of the three favorites for the Belmont Stakes – Animal Kingdom, Shackleford, and Nehro – expressed optimism and excitement with their respective horses while defending the overall quality of the 3-year-old crop when addressing the racing media during a national teleconference Thursday afternoon.
Animal Kingdom, Nehro, Mucho Macho Man, Shackleford, Master of Hounds, Santiva, and Brilliant Speed were the first seven across the wire in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, and if all come back, as now scheduled, on June 11 in the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, it will mark the first time ever that the first seven finishers in the Derby also competed in the Belmont Stakes.
Ramon Dominguez, last year’s Eclipse Award-winning jockey, will ride Mucho Macho Man in the June 11 Belmont Stakes, his agent, Steve Rushing, informed on Wednesday.
Rajiv Maragh rode Mucho Macho Man in his last four starts - a victory in the Risen Star Stakes, a third-place finish in the Louisiana Derby, a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, and a sixth-place finish in the Preakness.
Shackleford, the Preakness Stakes winner, will work on Saturday at Belmont Park for the June 11 Belmont Stakes, and “if he works good, he’ll be there for sure,” trainer Dale Romans said Wedneseday morning.
BELMONT STAKES: Replays, contenders, and news updates
Shackleford galloped 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park on Wednesday morning. It was his second day on the track there since arriving from Churchill Downs, where Shackleford returned following the May 21 Preakness.